Records and B2022 Standards Across Busy Weekend
Scottish records tumbled and qualifying standards achieved as Scottish athletes step up the pace in the race to secure places on Team Scotland at next summer’s Commonwealth Games. Here are some of the highlights across a busy weekend of sport…
Athletics
Josh Kerr was in racing action for the first time since claiming Olympic bronze in Tokyo and was in fantastic form, breaking the Scottish record as he finished second to Australia’s Ollie Hoare in the Wanamaker Mile in New York.
Clocking 3.52.27, he took the Scottish mark from Chris O’Hare and came close to Peter Elliot’s British record of 3.52.02.
SCOTTISH RECORD ALERT – MEN’S INDOOR MILE#SALachieve
Superb run @joshk97 for 3:52.27 in @MillroseGames Wanamaker Mile in 2nd place to land Record (held by @chrisohare1500 3:52.91)
Congratulations !@BeastsTC @dtmack @WorldAthletics
@JennyMeadows800
📸Gary Leek @EdinburghAC pic.twitter.com/VO3m16k62X— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) January 29, 2022
There was also a World Indoor Championships qualifying performance for Neil Gourley as he clocked 7:48.94 over 3000m to win in Arkansas.
Closer to home Jenny Selman posted an impressive run in Glasgow on Saturday to go fifth on the Scottish indoor all-time list over 800m. Her time of 2:01.84 was close to both the GB World Indoors standard (2:01.50) and Commonwealth Games standard (2:01.39).
Cycling
Cameron Mason took a fantastic 5th place at the U23 World Cyclocross Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday. Eventual winner Joran Wyseure of Belgium stole a march on the field in the second lap, with teammate Emiel Verstrynge in second. Meanwhile Cameron worked his way through the field to end up in a battle for the bronze medal in the final lap where he was eventually out sprinted by Nys of Belgium and Hendrix of the Netherlands to finish fifth.
5th at the World Championships. Yesterday was the best I could do with the legs I had and the race situation. I gave 100% and can look back at this championships proud of what I was able to aim for and achieve. pic.twitter.com/WBhctLvqhB
— Cameron Mason (@camerooney_) January 30, 2022
Luisa Steele and Jonathan Wale were the stand-out performers at the Commonwealth Games Qualifier, held at Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome. Luisa broke the Scottish Flying 200m record, not once but twice, with her record-breaking rides of 11.162 and 11.160 also inside the selection standard for Birmingham 2022.
Jonathan put down a marker in the Men’s Individual Pursuit on Day 1 with a 4:13.141, close to four seconds inside the qualifying standard for the Games. He returned on Day 2 to also post a qualifying time in the Kilo with 1.01.577.
Weightlifting
Scottish lifters brought home five medals from the British Weightlifting Championships in Derby, a qualifying opportunity fir the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
With Team Scotland experience already under their belts from Gold Coast 2018, Jodey Hughes and Lisa Tobias are in the hunt for a place at this summer’s Games once again, with both claiming a podium place this weekend. Jodey took silver in the 55kg event and Lisa bronze in the 49kg.
There was bronze too for Alice Aitchison in the 71kg category, as well as for Agata Herbert in the 76kg and Craig Carfray in the 67kg events. Jason Epton, who represented Team Scotland at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games was just off the podium in 4th in the 81kg event, as was Lucas Clarke in the 73kg category.
Beach Volleyball
Scottish beach volleyball pairing Lynne Beattie and Mel Coutts are into tonight’s final of the Reykjavik International Games. The duo, who represented Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018, finished top of their pool in the qualifying stages and are one of five teams through to the final round which will be played in a ‘King of the Court’ format consisting of 15 minute rounds.